Boler, John

John M. Boler

03/04/2016

John M. Boler, 81 of Inveess, IL and Sanibel Island, FL passed away peacefully on March 4, 2016 surrounded by his family. He was bo to John William and Violet Pearl (Crider) Boler on April 4, 1934 in Marion, Ohio. He attended elementary and high school at St. Mary's in Marion. He eaed his business degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio in 1956, during which he served in the ROTC. Following graduation, he served as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army Transportation Corps at Fort Eustis, Virginia. After 6 months of active duty he continued to participate in the reserves where he was eventually honorably discharged with the rank of Captain.

Nicknamed "Sunny" for his optimistic personality, he eaed his way through school and life, starting with a Marion Star newspaper delivery job at age 6. John was the first in his family to attend college. After graduation from John Carroll he landed a promising position at Clevite Corp., where at 26 he became the youngest plant manager in the company's history, and ten years later it's youngest general manager. When Clevite merged with Gould, Inc. John moved his family to Chicago in 1971. He guided the inteational electronics conglomerate's entry into South American and other markets. By age 43 he had facilitated or participated in 20 mergers and acquisitions for Gould.

In 1977, he left Gould, Inc., and started his own company which would eventually become The Boler Company. With asset-based loans from major banks, he purchased four manufacturing companies including Hendrickson, the world's leading supplier of heavy-duty truck suspensions. With John's vision and leadership, the company modeized and grew to what has become one of America's largest privately held corporations. John served actively as Chairman of the Board until his death.

John came from a humble beginning and believed in giving back in big ways. He served as Trustee to John Carroll for 26 years and his philanthropy led to the naming of the John and Mary Jo Boler School of Business in 1996, as well as the D.J. Lombardo Student Center in 1994. In 2005 he received the University's highest honor, the Alumni Medal. His service as Trustee and philanthropy to Rush University Medical Center in 2005 led to the naming of the Mary Jo and John Boler Centers for Advanced Imaging, and Rush's highest honor, the Trustee Medal, in 2015. He served on and chaired the American Cancer Society's National Foundation Board, and supported many educational, healthcare and autism related causes around the country, along with groups near and dear to his heart on Sanibel Island. He quietly made college education possible for many friends and family. He often asked himself if he was doing enough.

He was loved and cherished by his family. He is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 58 years Mary Jo (Lombardo), daughters Judy (Ray) McCormack, Jill (Dan) McCormack, sons Jim (Celeste) Boler, Mike (Jamie) Boler, and Matt (Christine) Boler, and 13 grandchildren, Danny, Luke, Matt, John, Alex, Ray, Michael, Katie, Ben, Tricia, Domenic, Gina, and John. His sisters, Marilyn (Bill) Lowe, JoAnna (Jim) Cunningham, and Betty Jo (Bill) Whetro, his brother in law, Dave Lombardo, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son John Matthew and his sisters Barbara and Nancy. Words cannot accurately describe what we will all miss about him. He was larger than life, charismatic, smart, and giving, a fighter, an optimist, and a lifelong Republican.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in John's name to one of his favorite causes: Rush University Medical Center AARTS Program (Autism), The Boler School of Business at John Carroll University, The Boler-Parseghian Center for Rare and Neglected Diseases at the University of Notre Dame, and Big Arts on Sanibel Island, FL.

The wake for John is Sunday, March 13 at Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home, 185 E. Northwest Hwy., Palatine, IL from 1pm to 7pm. A Funeral Mass celebrating John's life is scheduled for Monday, March 14th at 11:00am, St. Theresa Catholic Church, 465 N. Benton Street, Palatine, IL. Interment will be private at St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery. Info., 847-359-8020 or visit John's memorial at www.smithcorcoran.com

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